Merankorikku

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from a film with this title. It turns out to be unusual in that the title explains the main character without him having to explain himself.

But this is an interesting, unpretentious and darkly comic drama about a lonely semi-employed graduate who seems unable to find anything to inspire him in life. However, he gets far more than he expects when he gets a casual job in a bathhouse, motivated mostly by trying to get to talk to an old schoolmate who is a regular. The bathhouse turns out to be a front for certain Yakuza activities. And the shy young man may well turn out to be more interested than he should be in making money from the distinctly illegal goings-on.

The film is nicely paced and always interesting and quite funny in parts. The characters are well acted and oddly likeable despite their unlikeable career choices. The film slightly runs out of ideas in the end, although at least we are spared a contrived twist. The low key ending is oddly in keeping with the overall tone.

The ingredients for a good movie are all there: interesting and fresh ideas, compelling story. The movie mixes comedy, action and drama efficiently. The characters' evolution is believable and it is easy to root for them, because we really get to know them: who they are, which is their story, which are their emotions. The pace may be slow for some, but I liked that the director took his time to tell his story. I was hooked from the beginning. Acting is overall good, nothing extraordinary, but the cast did the job properly, even though some interactions felt very forced, especially between Kazuhiko and Yuri.

With all these positive elements, I wondered how the director could wrap the movie so roughly, without a proper climax. The ending is extremely disappointing and generic. I was expecting a big plot twist or a scene that would leave me speechless, but unfortunately this does not happen. The movie is very raw and unpolished, especially in the editing department. There are cuts that interrupt a scene abruptly, creating a lot of confusion. I had to come back a couple of times in order to understand the link between one sequence and another. Not a big deal, but it is still an issue, because in some parts the story does not flow at all. The shaky camera technique in my opinion is used way too much, even during some dialogues.

"Melancholic" is not a bad movie, but needed more work to be completed. Well, this is the very first film of Seiji Tanaka, and I am pretty sure that if he keeps working on his craft, he will improve both as a writer and director.

Last night I went to the Japanese Film Festival and saw this one on the big screen. The movie is every bit as quirky and oddball as the blurb makes it sound - a university graduate, Kazuhiko, lives with his parents and is suffering from a bad case of ennui. He finds part-time employment in the local bathhouse, which he soon discovers is used by Yakuza for executions. He becomes entangled in disposing of the bodies, whilst at the same time finding an opportunity for love with a former classmate (who happens to be equally as oddball as Kazuhiko).

It sounds like it should be overly dark, but it's actually quite light and somewhat whimsical in a Japanesey way. The movie turns out to be a strange mix of coming of age tale and crime thriller. There is violence, but it is not the main attraction here, and is not overdone or gory. What the film is concerned with is why we are driven to do what we do in life. Why is Kazuhiko so fascinated with gangland executions? Why is he so eager to be useful in this new line of work? Why has he done nothing with this life since graduating from Tokyo University (which means a lot in Japan)? Why is this or that person being killed by the yakuza?

If you're interested in that kind of inner-dialogue, AND you don't mind something out of the ordinary, give this movie a chance. In my screening there was definitely a handful of people that were not 'getting it' and were confused by the movie. I think they had expectations that were not fulfilled, and this movie does the opposite, it gives you what you don't expect. A bit like life.

The acting is fantastic by all the main characters. Some typical plot developments but a good story line.

Great job by the director to keep a movie about killers without much killing interesting. Not for a moment did I find myself wishing the movie would be shorter.

This unemployed typical japanese shy guy starts working at a neighborhood bathhouse, after running into an old female classmate there. Turns out the place also serves as a yakuza killhouse at night. From here on we get an interesting combination of something reminiscent of the TV show Dexter and a romance/comedy. While the subject matters is a little dark, it's quite a mellow and warm movie and the characters are all quite likeable. I enjoyed it.